


Panic on the Skype Call

by Silverskipper17



Category: Jacksepticeye-Fandom, Markiplier-fandom, Youtube RPF
Genre: Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Stressed Jack, possible triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 08:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8883187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverskipper17/pseuds/Silverskipper17
Summary: Jack has too much to do before PAX. On a Skype call with his best friend Mark, his stress becomes too much for him to handle.





	1. Mark's POV

**Author's Note:**

> This story has two perspectives: Mark's and Jack's. Jack's POV should be up soon.

_I’m so bored._

                Mark sat on his couch staring at a blank television screen. He had just finished uploading his latest video and had enough in cue for him to relax for the rest of the day. But, because he is usually busy editing or recording, he had no idea what to do. He debated about actually turning on the TV and watching some Netflix, but he did not feel like catching up on his shows today. He could play another game, but he was not sure which one; he had played so many games for his channel that the idea of playing another one filled him with dread. He needed to relax. But how could he when he had nothing to do?

                He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at this thought. _I’m so pathetic. The one day I get to relax and I can’t even do it. How stupid._ He got up from his couch and proceeded back to his recording room where he had left his phone. _I should share this on Twitter or something._

                As he entered his recording space and saw his computer, he had a better idea. “I should actually talk to Jack,” he said aloud.

                Mark couldn’t even remember when the last time they spoke was. Had it been a week? A month? Mark felt obligated to check on his Irish friend. He seemed to be incredibly stressed lately, according to his Twitter updates. Mark sat at his desk and opened up Skype. He grew excited when he noticed that Jack was still online, and he hovered his mouse cursor over the call button.

                But he hesitated. _What if he’s busy? What if he’s recording?_ Mark pondered for a moment before finally clicking the button. _Fuck it. He probably needs the company_. _I know_ I _do._

                Mark grew anxious as the call dialed for longer than he expected and the “leave a message” option appeared on his screen. _Is he ignoring me?_ He quickly shoved the idea aside. _He’s busy. I’ll just call again later._ Before he could click on anything, however, the dial tone ceased and a familiar face suddenly appeared in front of him.

                “Hi, Jack!” Mark greeted.

                “What’s up, man?” Jack seemed excited to see Mark’s face again.

                “I’m so bored!” Mark complained, slouching in his chair. This caused the Irish man to giggle softly.

                “Get over it, ya doof,” Jack laughed.

                “What about you?” Mark quickly changed the subject. “How’s everything?”

                “Eh… it’s been a bit rough lately.”

                Mark sat up in his chair. “How so?”

                “I’ve just been really busy lately. There’s so much I have to do still. I still have to edit six videos in order to catch up to my recording schedule. I still have to record and edit a shit-ton more videos before I leave for PAX Prime. Not to mention that I also have to actually _pack_ for PAX, but that’s a whole ‘nother issue….”

                Mark zoned out slightly as Jack continued, eyes growing wider with every additional item added to the list of things to do. No wonder Jack was so stressed. There was so much on his plate for PAX already and all of these other items just piled on top of it. Mark felt bad for calling him. Had he interrupted his busy morning just to be entertained? _Morning!_ Mark glanced at the clock on his desktop after noticing the dark circles underneath Jack’s eyes. _What time is it anyway in Ireland? Does this guy ever sleep?_

                “I’m sorry I interrupted,” Mark apologized after hearing a break in Jack’s explanation. “I didn’t know you were so busy. Do you have to get back to things or can you still talk? I’m kind of worried about you.”

                Mark leaned back in his chair as he waited for a response. He really didn’t mean to interrupt Jack’s busy day, but at least he knew why his behavior on social media seemed off. Mark grew more and more concerned about his friend. _What if this is too much for him?_ Mark realized that his last thought might be true when Jack didn’t answer him immediately.

                “Jack?” Mark tilted his head slightly to the right. “You okay?”

                That’s when he saw it. A tear had trickled down Jack’s face and rested just underneath his jawline, threatening to fall onto his desk. Mark leaned forward, concern on his face. “Jack?” he asked again.

                Mark noticed that Jack’s chest heaved at an alarming rate, but no sound came from his mouth. Mark immediately sprang up from his chair. “Jack! Jack, you need to breathe.” He grasped the sides of his computer screen as if cradling his friend in his arms. _Oh, fuck! What’s wrong with Jack?_

                Jack sharply gasped, causing more tears to flow from his eyes and down his cheeks. He clutched the sides of his head with his hands, his fingers pulling at his faded, lime green hair. His labored breathing continued, this time, more audible.

                “Jack! Can you hear me?” Mark panicked, hoping that the Irishman was listening.

                His panic grew stronger when Jack didn’t acknowledge his plea. “Please, Jack, I need you to stay with me. You need to breathe. Can you do that for me?”

                Jack still didn’t respond to him, lost in his own panic. Mark slammed on his desk with his fist. “SEAN!”

                Jack, startled, instantly shot his gaze up to Mark. Mark felt his heart sink when he saw just how broken his friend was. His eyes, normally bright and blue, were dull, grey, and clouded with tears. His face had turned pale and his hands, now fists, pressed against his head. “You need to breathe,” Mark repeated, trying his best to stay calm. “In through your nose and out through your mouth. Do it with me.”

                Mark inhaled slowly and watched to see if Jack tried to do the same. He didn’t. “Breathe with me, please,” he begged, growing more desperate to reach him.

                He inhaled again. This time, Jack copied his actions. He tried to breathe in calmly, but halfway through, he choked up, causing him to spiral into a massive coughing fit and return to his heavy panting. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Mark felt tears starting to cloud his own eyes. “Try it again.”

                Mark and Jack inhaled at the same time, though Jack’s was more spastic. As they exhaled together, Mark could see a difference in Jack’s chest rhythm. “That’s it,” he calmly encouraged. “Again.”

                Mark continued to breathe deeply and Jack copied. At times, Jack would return to breathing at an abnormal rate, but he soon began to relax. His breaths became less labored with every exercise, and his arms returned to his lap. Mark began to relax as well. He sat back down in his chair, still holding on to his screen, and tried again to talk to Jack. “Is that better?”

                Jack nodded, panting. His hyperventilating had stopped, but his breathing was still uneven from his crying. “M-M-Mark?” he desperately tried to speak.

                “It’s okay, I’m here,” Mark sighed, thankful that those events were over.

                “I-I’m scared, M-Mark,” Jack wheezed and Mark felt his heart shatter. “What h-happened?”

                “I think you had a panic attack,” Mark let go of his screen, leaning back in his chair again.

                Mark heard Jack’s breath hitch. He immediately regretted telling him that as he watched the Irishman’s breathing pick up again. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Calm down, buddy.” Mark grabbed his screen once more.

                Jack held his hand up defensively, calming his breathing on his own. “I’m fine.” He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve. “I’m okay.”

                Mark let go of his screen again, sinking back into his chair. He let out a heavy sigh. _Poor Jack. I wish I could help him._

                “Mark?” Jack looked up at his screen.

                “Yeah?”

                “I felt so hopeless,” Jack’s voice cracked. “It was so dark. So cold. So heavy.” He rested his hand against his heart, as if checking to see if it still worked. “There’s too much I need to do, I j-just, sort of, l-lost it.” Mark saw that he was going to cry again.

                “Shh… it’s okay.” Mark comforted, wishing he could be there to hug him. “You should really take a break and try to relax.”

                “But what abou-out the fans?” Jack sounded broken.

                “I’m sure they will understand.” Mark reassured. “They love you and support you every step of the way. You can edit videos for them later; right now, you need to take a break.”

                “Okay,” Jack started to calm down again. “Thanks Mark. I will.” He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “Oh, god, I’m a mess right now,” he laughed. “I’m so sorry for putting you through all this.”

                “No need to apologize. I’m there when you need me.” Mark smiled warmly.

                “I should record a vlog and tell the fans I’m taking a break.”

                “Okay, I’ll let you do that.”

                “I guess I’ll see you at PAX.”

                “Yeah. It’s going to be great to see you in person again.”

                “Yeah.”

                “Feel free to call me anytime you need me, okay?”

                “Okay. Mark.”

                They paused for a moment. “Mark?” Jack finally spoke up.

                Mark looked up from his keyboard.

                “Thank you.”

                Mark smiled. “No problem. Anytime.”

                Jack ended the call.


	2. Jack's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Here's Jack's POV finally.

_Oh, god. I think my hair is falling out._

                Jack paced the floor in his recording room nervously. _I need to do another “Reading Your Comments” video before I go. I don’t know if I have time. Did I start the laundry?_ He stopped in his tracks. _I did. Phew._ He continued to pace. _Now what about packing? I can’t do that until the laundry’s done. Watch. Something will go wrong and I’ll have to wash them manually. Shit! I need to record Happy Wheels still. And I still haven’t edited my latest video yet. Damn it. I’m so busy. Oh! How’s my hair?_

                He quickly ran into his bathroom and looked in the mirror. What he saw was not pretty. His face was drained of energy, revealing just how pale he really was. His eyes did not shine like they used to, and he noticed the bags under his eyes had gotten darker. His hair, which was his main concern, was a faded green, not his desired lime like it used to be, and his original hair color showed at the roots. _Great. I’m going to have to get it dyed again before PAX. That’s another thing added to my list._

                He trudged out of his bathroom and suddenly heard a noise from his computer. He recognized the tone. _Someone’s calling me on Skype._ He rushed to his desk and plopped into his chair before reading the name that appeared on the screen. _It’s Mark! Oh, god, I don’t want him to see me like this!_ He quickly ran his fingers through his hair in a desperate attempt to make it neater, a few strands falling out in the process. He slapped his face a few times to wake himself up and moved his cursor toward the answer button. He debated on hanging up on him or just ignoring his call. _No,_ he decided. _We haven’t spoken in a while. He’d just call back._ He took a deep breath and clicked on the answer button. A fiery-red haired man appeared before him on the screen.

                “Hi, Jack!” the man warmly greeted him. _Mark is so happy. I hope I don’t bring him down._

                “What’s up, man?” Jack managed to say, faking his excitement. _That did not sound convincing at all._ Fortunately, Mark didn’t notice.

                “I’m so bored!” Jack couldn’t help but laugh at Mark’s complaint. He watched as Mark slouched in his chair and flailed his arms in the air briefly.

                “Get over it, ya doof,” Jack answered happily. He had forgotten what it was like to be happy. That scared him.

                “What about you?” Mark asked. “How’s everything?”

                Jack tensed. “Eh…” He didn’t know how to answer. Should he tell him what he’s been doing? Should he tell him that he hadn’t slept in nearly two days? Should he tell him that he was feeling stressed to the point where he might just collapse? He didn’t want to burden him with his emotions, but he figured that he had to know _something_. He was one of his best friends, after all. He finally answered with a soft “…it’s been a bit rough lately.”

                He realized that he had said too much already when he watched the red haired man sit up in his chair, eyes softening. “How so?” _Fuck. Now you worried him. Good job, Jack._

                Jack had paused for too long. _Say something, damn it!_ He finally just opened up to his friend and told him everything he still had to do. “I’ve just been really busy lately. There’s so much I have to do still. I still have to edit six videos in order to catch up to my recording schedule. I still have to record and edit a shit-ton more videos before I leave for PAX Prime. Not to mention that I also have to actually _pack_ for PAX, but that’s a whole ‘nother issue. I just started the laundry, but that won’t be done for a long time. Oh, and I still need to dye my hair again so it looks less faded and straighten up a little around here and… and…”

                He trailed off. _Too many and’s_. Jack had not realized until now that there was still so much to do before PAX. And here he was wasting his time with Mark. He was tempted to hang up right there and get back to recording, but he didn’t want to worry Mark any more than he already was. He heard Mark say something, but he didn’t listen. He had to process his thoughts before he could respond.

                Suddenly, he felt his breath hitch, and his hands began to tremble. _What’s happening?_ His breathing grew heavier and his vision began to blur. He tried his best to snap back into reality, but it was no use. He could no longer see anything other than a faint outline of the veins in his eyes, and his heart pounded in his chest, trying to escape its torment. He desperately tried to breathe, but it only came in rapid, quiet gasps. He began to panic. _Fuck!_ _I can’t breathe! Someone help me! God, please, someone help me!_

                His panic only made his situation worse. He suddenly began to feel dizzy, the room darkening and spinning around him. He clutched the sides of his head and pulled at his hair. _I’m so scared. What is happening to me?_

                He heard a distant voice, but it was too muffled for him to register. His grip on his hair grew tighter, and his breathing became louder… and faster. He tried again to escape his torment, but he was stuck. He just couldn’t escape the grasp his panic had on him. It only frightened him more. _Get me out of this hell!_ He was practically screaming in his head.

                “SEAN!”

                A sudden thump and a scream snapped Jack back into reality. His vision cleared slightly and he was able to make out the outline on his screen. Mark had gotten up and leaned really close to his computer screen. _How long was Mark trying to get my attention?_ Jack was thankful to have a thin grasp on reality again, but his panic started to drag him away from it. Mark began to fade.

                _No! Please!_ He tried to scream, but all that came out was a whimper. _Come back, Mark!_

                He struggled to keep his grasp on Mark, and soon, he was finally able to hear him. “Breathe with me, please.” He heard desperation in Mark’s voice. He then watched as Mark took a deep breath.

                Jack did his best to copy him. He inhaled as slowly as he could, but his chest wouldn’t allow it. His air got caught in his throat, and he broke into a nasty fit of coughs as he struggled for more air. He felt his chest return to the labored state it was in before.

                “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He heard Mark’s voice crack. “Try it again.”

                That voice crack was enough to give Jack the motivation to try again. He had hurt Mark, and he wasn’t about to give up when his friend was so desperately trying to reach him. He had done enough damage. He slowly inhaled again with Mark, this time able to do it without choking. He breathed out a heavy sigh. The darkness began to fade, and he could see Mark more clearly.

                “That’s it,” Mark whispered. “Again.”

                Jack continued to copy Mark. Eventually, he felt his body relax. His vision returned, and his head stopped pounding. He slowly dropped his arms back into his lap and lowered his gaze to his trembling fingers. He could feel his breath returning, though he still panted from the scare.

                “Is that better?” he heard Mark ask calmly.

                Jack tried to form words, but his throat closed up. He nodded instead, before desperately trying to speak. He noticed something wet cling to both sides of his face. He rubbed his cheeks briefly before realizing that his face was wet from tears. _Oh, god. When did I start crying?_

                “M-M-Mark?” he managed to stammer out, looking back up at his friend.

                “It’s okay, I’m here,” Mark reassured.

                He paused before he continued. “I-I’m scared, M-Mark,” he wheezed, hoping that Mark could still hear him. “What h-happened?” _Did I just have a panic attack or something?_

                “I think you had a panic attack,” Mark confirmed his thoughts.

                _I knew it. Fuck._ Jack had never experienced one before. He wasn’t prone to them, so it never fazed him that it could happen someday. He had an idea of what it was like based off of a game he once played, but he never thought he would experience one. It scared him. He was still terrified. He felt his breathing increase again as he tried to hold back sobs.

                “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Calm down buddy.” Mark sounded like he was about to cry. Jack cursed himself for worrying his friend so much.

                Jack shot his hand up. He took a few deep breaths and his crying ceased. “I’m fine,” he said as he cleaned his face with his sleeve. “I’m okay.”

                _No I’m not. Why did I say that?_

                “Mark?” Jack stared at his friend, fear in his eyes.

                “Yeah?” Mark looked equally scared, though he seemed to relax a little.

                “I felt so hopeless,” Jack recalled, tears welling up and threatening to fall. “It was so dark. So cold. So heavy.” He put his hand on his heart, making sure that it didn’t burst out of his chest during his episode. “There’s too much I need to do.” He suddenly remembered everything he had to do and felt himself about to cry again. “I j-just, sort of, l-lost it.”

                “Shh…it’s okay,” he heard Mark say. He looked back down at his lap. “You should really take a break and try to relax,” Mark suggested.

                “But what abou-out the fans?” Jack didn’t want to upset his fans by not posting anything.

                “I’m sure they will understand,” Mark calmly explained. “They love you and support you every step of the way. You can edit videos for them later; right now, you need to take a break.”

                Mark was right. As much as he didn’t want to disappoint his fans, he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion overcome him. Maybe he did need to relax for a while. Just for a day or two. “Okay,” he agreed, calming down once more. “Thanks Mark. I will.” He felt the tears escape his eyes and instinctively wiped them away. “Oh, god, I’m a mess right now,” he chuckled, trying to clean his face. “I’m so sorry for putting you through all this.”

                He really felt bad for Mark. All he wanted to do was talk and this was what he got. He felt like a burden to him, but those thoughts vanished as he watched Mark shake his head.

                “No need to apologize. I’m there when you need me.”

                Jack felt a weight lifted off of his chest. Mark truly cared about him, and he was happy that he was there. He didn’t want to leave him, but he desperately wanted to sleep. “I should record a vlog and tell the fans I’m taking a break.”

                “Okay, I’ll let you do that.”

                “I guess I’ll see you at PAX.”

                “Yeah. It’s going to be great to see you in person again.”

                “Yeah.” _And maybe I’ll be less of a mess._

                “Feel free to call me anytime you need me, okay?”

                “Okay, Mark.”

                Jack was relieved that he could talk to Mark anytime he needed him. He just might do that. “Mark?” He interrupted their period of silence.

                Jack paused before continuing. “Thank you.” He watched Mark smile, and he smiled as well.

                “No problem. Anytime.”

                Jack ended the call.


End file.
